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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25797109">Songs of Sirens</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGrammarHawk/pseuds/TheGrammarHawk'>TheGrammarHawk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hawk's Ferdibert Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ferdibert Week 2020 (Fire Emblem), Hostage Situations, M/M, Sirens, mermaid au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:49:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,789</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25797109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGrammarHawk/pseuds/TheGrammarHawk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Some mermaids are sirens, and sirens all have varied powers to their songs. When Hubert learns that a threat has trapped members of his pod, he'll employ whatever tactic he must to keep them safe, even it means exposing himself to his family.</p><p>Ferdibert Week 2020 Day 1: Body Swap/Confessions/<strong>Mermaids</strong>/Espionage</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hawk's Ferdibert Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1871527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Ferdibert Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Songs of Sirens</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hellooooo it's time once again for me to get up to my nonsense! imma be honest this story got kinda lost on me so i'm hoping it goes well for you! you're getting thrown in sorta in medias res and if you've read some of my other stories, you might recognize some of the OC children here! you'll see them again before the week's over &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The underwater cave that the Black Seagull pod called home filled with warm water during the day, compared to the cooler currents of the night. Hubert didn’t mind his nightly works in part for that reason; he slept comfortably in cold water, of course, but then he also had his absolute octopus of a husband to curl around him and keep him warm. At least Ferdinand’s tail, clingy and curly as seahorse tails tended to be, was not quite so hard to remove as the <em>actual </em>octopus tentacles of their daughter.</p><p>Hubert didn’t often sleep for very long during the day, even with his notorious night patrols. Today however the rhythm of the water was especially soothing, and it was almost peaceful with everyone out for the day-</p><p>“<em>Father-!</em>”</p><p>If there was anything that could snap Hubert to attention, it was a cry from one of his pips. With a sharp slap of his tail against the smooth floor of the cave he almost knocked right into his younger son, quick to brace himself into a stop as he grabbed small shoulders.</p><p>“Ludolf, what is it?” He had never seen the boy’s bright eyes so full of fear, not since– “Where are-?”</p><p>“The Deep-Seafolk you and Aunt Edelgard – we were by the reef with Aunt ‘Thea and they just–”</p><p>Alight with alarm, Hubert could only bark an order to remain behind before bursting into the open water, looking for any other members of his pod.</p><p>He knew he was heading in the right direction when he nearly smacked into his mate, the bright orange hair lovelier than any coral surrounding them. In an instant his slick tail was bound tightly with Ferdinand’s, webbed and clawed hands gripping his shoulders in a way that equally showed his anxiety.</p><p>Hubert wanted nothing more than to kiss at his lips, but the message coming out of them was too important.</p><p>“Hubert, the Agarthans – they trapped the pips and Dorothea with those <em>monstrous </em>electric eels, the <em>size </em>of them–”</p><p>Any news involving the Agarthans was dire, to be sure. But sending some of their most dangerous scouts and hunters to corner their <em>children</em>? Seven pips, not eight, since Ludolf had managed to get away from the action simply by showing up late in the first place, his occasional laziness actually <em>benefiting </em>him for once. Dorothea, as well, was in danger…</p><p>The fact that Ferdinand had fled the scene to find him was <em>immensely </em>concerning. The mere statement of there being nearly <em>twenty </em>foes was… it was enough to have Hubert at a loss for words, at first.</p><p>If it was simply the nasty Agarthans, he and Ferdinand could likely have simply charged in and killed a good portion of them while Dorothea tucked the younger pips close, certainly the older ones would stick near enough to not get hurt. The electric eels posed a more serious problem – destructive and as large as any merfolk, the pets the Agarthans had been honing over the centuries could easily spell death for anyone unlucky enough to get shocked or bitten.</p><p>Now, Hubert <em>was </em>an eel, at least – if nothing else, he would be far less harmed by the shocks of the electric eels, but that relied on the notion that he could fight off twenty Agarthans and a cluster of eels without anyone getting harmed. This…</p><p>The situation became all too clear. With Edelgard and Byleth away politically negotiating with the Golden Eel and Blue Lionfish pods, that left Caspar and Petra patrolling their borders while Bernadetta and Linhardt were out gathering food and materials.</p><p>Caspar and Petra would have been useful muscle to attack the Agarthans, and Linhardt and Bernadetta were sirens. Bernadetta’s ability as a panic-driven siren would likely have worsened the situation depending on how the Agarthans lashed out, especially with how little control she possessed over her powers.</p><p>Linhardt would have been desperately useful in this scenario. As a leisure siren, his voice would have driven their foes to exhaustion and relaxation, luring them to sleep. That would’ve posed no harm at all, not with every enemy helplessly unconscious.</p><p>Edelgard’s power to compel others to bend to her will was lost on the Agarthans, what with them being the reason she had the ability at all. That left Dorothea and Ferdinand as one of their most powerful assets-</p><p>“Dorothea is <em>pinned</em>, Hubert,” Ferdinand spoke breathlessly, “they threaten to choke her if any of the children act out, lest they already would have thrown fits, and I – the likelihood of being able to subdue them all without Dorothea at my side is incredibly slim, loathe as I am to admit – and if I take a shot and it does not take all of them to heart, I may not have another <em>chance</em>. Hubert, I do not know what to <em>do</em>.”</p><p>Ferdinand was right, of <em>course </em>he was right. Both he and Dorothea were the most common kind of siren in the sea with the ability to seduce through their voice alone, to lure sailors to their watery grave just by jumping into the sea, as most humans knew. It worked most strongly if the target was attracted to you, so by having both Ferdinand and Dorothea work together it was rare that anyone was left unaffected. That, as well as the fact that they amplified each other and became even more irresistible when together.</p><p>There was only one option left.</p><p>“Do what you do best, Ferdinand: you send out your call and draw their attention to us.”</p><p>Ferdinand’s tail coiled even more tightly around Hubert’s, causing the older to suppress the wince at the pressure. “Hubert, it won’t <em>work</em>-”</p><p>“With me alongside you, it just may.”</p><p>It was with a trepidatious heart and Ferdinand found himself swimming back toward the reef where Dorothea and the others were held captive, hiding amongst the coral that matched the vibrancy of his hair.</p><p>The sight was terrifying for Ferdinand, overwhelming anxiety tearing him apart as he noticed the fear on the pips’ faces.</p><p>Especially his own – Amira, young as she was, still hovered in front of Reinhilde, as though she could protect Edelgard’s daughter with seven tiny tentacles and force of will alone. Gottfried, at least, was doing a more proper job – of course, he was years older than both Amira and Amalric, who he had covered completely, compared to their siblings’ attempt. The sons of Petra, Bernadetta, and Dorothea were tucked under their sister’s arms, all stricken with horror as they kept their eyes on their mother: true to Ferdinand’s words, Dorothea was held against a solid rock, gnarled gray hand digging into her neck belonging to what appeared to be the leader of this Agarthan pack.</p><p>Ferdinand was not the avid singer Dorothea was – though his father had exploited his talents as a siren throughout his life, he did not care for the singing aspect and had discouraged ‘wasting’ his voice willy-nilly. Even simply soothing his children at night could be a chore to work up the nerve – he had grown so used to singing for himself, and later Hubert, alone, that the idea of more of an audience was no small thing to bat an eye at.</p><p>But for a situation like this? Under the stress of nearby threats? <em>Nothing </em>could stop him now.</p><p>Ferdinand had been told that his voice, when used in a siren’s call, was much warmer than usual. Almost blistering in heat, according to Hubert, similar to the way his hands pressed against him during late spells of nighttime. That had added to Ferdinand’s confidence, at least–</p><p>These fiends could burn in the deepest depths of Ailell if he had his way.</p><p>More importantly – the calling had gotten the Agarthans’ attention. While not all appeared distracted immediately, over half definitely appeared to let their attention drift from the rest of their pod to the siren in their midst.</p><p>It wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough, his voice alone wouldn’t draw them all in, not enough to save everyone–</p><p>A chilling sensation trickled down his spine in time with the long fingers that rested upon his shoulders as a new sound, a new <em>voice</em>, mixed into his song. Where his lyrics were dulcet and alluring, <em>this </em>was more like…</p><p>It started low and compelling, just like Ferdinand’s own, but within a few moments it got higher, <em>higher</em>, almost like a shriek – but it was no banshee’s caterwauling. As much as the new notes seemed to be covered in a dreadful, creeping ice, they were still <em>lovely</em>, especially when melded with his.</p><p>To <em>think</em> that, despite however many years they had known each other, Ferdinand had <em>never </em>discovered that Hubert, too, carried siren blood!</p><p>It had an immediate effect on the Agarthans nearby. Ferdinand was used to drawing others in, but whatever it was Hubert was adding to the call…</p><p>Their sunken eyes had glassed over, as was customary when more than one siren worked together, their powers amplifying each other. Some gave snarls, others foreboding hisses, but instead of drifting much closer, entranced by Ferdinand alone, they were disgruntled, reaching their out their hands–</p><p>–immediately gripping onto the very deadly eels they were using to surround the pips.</p><p>The second Dorothea was released her own three children darted to her, the other four remaining still as the scene unfolded. By the time the two enchanting calls died down, the reef was littered with terrified young eyes and over a dozen corpses.</p><p>Ferdinand only truly came back to himself when Gottfried barreled into him, Amira close behind as she grabbed onto her older brother’s frilled fin.</p><p>“I <em>knew </em>you’d be able to save us, Papa!”</p><p>Reassuring the boy with a pat to his head, Ferdinand found himself turning to Hubert, eyes alight in surprise. “Hubert, you never said you–”</p><p>“It was not a matter of importance,” Hubert hummed as he allowed Amira to cling to him, “very few with siren blood have the song of murderous intent. If used in the wrong situation, well…”</p><p>The idea that one’s voice could cause a target to simply act toward death, such as choosing to be shocked by one of the massive eels… Hubert was right, Ferdinand knew, it <em>was </em>inherently dangerous. Yet…</p><p>“You have still robbed us all of your voice for countless years! I will simply have to ask for an encore when we have all settled for the day, after such a… dreadful event such as this.”</p><p>“Perhaps when all have gone to sleep,” Hubert smirked, curling a clawed finger along the shell of Ferdinand’s ear. “Perhaps <em>then </em>you shall have earned such a solo of your desires.</p><p>“Until then, let’s make sure everyone gets home safe.”</p><p>“I couldn’t agree more.”</p>
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